That's one question Bay Area businesses are asking their employees these days, as the San Francisco Bay Area firmly establishes itself as a hub of economic activity in the Pacific rim.

Though English remains the dominant international language of business, China's emerging importance has influenced hiring practices, affecting a range of companies from the biggest global firms to local hotels. Potential hires are now being asked about their ability to both speak and write Chinese.

Well over 1 billion people worldwide speak some form of Chinese: primarily Mandarin in China and Taiwan and Cantonese in Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore.

Simon Tong, head of KPMG's U.S.-China practice, said the firm is trying to increase the number of bilingual or trilingual employees. More than half of KPMG's 700 Chinese-speaking workers are located on the West Coast; all 25 employees in Tong's nationwide division speak Chinese.

"I joined KPMG 11 years ago in Beijing, providing services to Chinese multinationals," he said. "Now we're looking at the opportunities from a China perspective, how China can invest in the U.S."

Using Chinese in the U.S.

Some U.S. employers are looking for people with language ability to use with Asian visitors or with Asian immigrants living the Bay Area who speak little English.

Austin Watkins, director at the Four Seasons Hotel, said speaking Asian languages is important for communicating with Asian guests, but so are other skills.

Financial services firms, in particular, see Chinese speakers as a good way to lure local immigrant customers. San Francisco-based Charles Schwab has offered its TeleBroker services in Cantonese since 1995, and offers investors call centers and web sites in Chinese.

Maggie Mui, a senior vice president at Wells Fargo, said the bank has dozens of loan officers who speak Chinese. In a time of financial uncertainty, loan applications have increased and this cultural adaptation has become one of the bank's most popular services. Newly recruited engineers from China in Silicon Valley on H1-B visas need help buying houses and financing car payments, she said. Wells Fargo helps by instructing them how to write checks, protect their credit and invest wisely.

"We hire a lot of bilingual team members," Mui said. "They serve our customers better by making them feel more comfortable."

Striking deals with Chinese firms

The other big reason firms hire bilingual employees is to use their Chinese when talking to clients in China over the phone, traveling overseas to lure business or analyzing potential business deals in China or with Chinese companies.

Few of China's tax laws, for example, are in English, which is a growing challenge for companies planning to make deals and strike up partnerships.

Bill Guilfoyle, co-CEO of Matthews International Capital Management, said his investment managers travel frequently to conduct research and need to analyze reams of information in Chinese.

"It is an asset to have professionals who can look at data without a translator," Guilfoyle said.

Lydia So, portfolio manager at Matthews, is fluent in Cantonese and conversational in Mandarin. During her trips to Asia, she can read financial statements, as well as converse with taxi drivers, to get a better sense of the local economy. "I value being able to relate to people better," said So.

Joseph Pelayo, CEO of Joseph Michaels, said he has seen a significant increase in requests for Mandarin-speaking executives in the Bay Area. The San-Francisco headhunter has recruited for Coca-Cola, Sony and Foster Farms, among others.

Dr. Chen Yu, a partner at Vivo Ventures, a Palo Alto-based biotech venture capital firm, travels to China several times a year to check out exciting new prospects.

Unlike most VCs, Vivo (formerly BioAsia Investments) has an office in Shanghai, and is actively seeking joint ventures and looking to make direct investments in Chinese firms.

"Generally, like it is in the U.S., building relationships is important," Dr. Yu said. "So people who are able to build those relationships will be at an advantage."

Chinese companies reaching U.S.

Yet another reason why firms need bilingual employees is to capture work from Chinese companies that want to expand into the U.S. market, with particular focus on selling to Asian Americans. Sharon Sim-Krause founded marketing firm Panache in 2000 intent on working with Chinese companies that want to sell their wares to Asian American customers, she said.

"Trends around the world have the dragon rising," Sim-Krause said. "Personally, when I grew Panache, I looked for people (who) knew an Asian language."

Ad agency Golin-Harris took over Panache in 2006, making Sim-Krause an executive vice president in charge of the San Francisco office. She said businesspeople must recognize the diversity of Chinese marketplace.

Bolstering language skills

Executives believe the demand for Chinese will only increase.

Lilly Chung, a principal for Deloitte's semiconductor affinity group, sits on the board of Monte Jade Science and Technology Association, a prominent Asian-American nonprofit. One of the group's goals is to "bring together a talented pool of bilingual young professionals."

Chung said that in recent years Chinese has become a huge advantage.

"Now, a big chunk of startups are started by immigrants, or they are senior executives of very important companies," she said. When such individuals need business services, they are often hampered in their search by limited fluency in English.

"We can bring not just our expertise, but our language skills," Chung said.